U.S. patent number 10,686,120 [Application Number 14/913,367] was granted by the patent office on 2020-06-16 for method for producing ceramic multi-layer components.
This patent grant is currently assigned to EPCOS AG. The grantee listed for this patent is EPCOS AG. Invention is credited to Alexander Glazunov, Robert Krumphals, Marion Ottlinger.
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United States Patent |
10,686,120 |
Ottlinger , et al. |
June 16, 2020 |
Method for producing ceramic multi-layer components
Abstract
A method can be used for producing ceramic multilayer
components. The method includes providing green layers for the
ceramic multilayer components, stacking the green layers into a
stack, and subsequently compressing the stack to form a block.
Furthermore, the method includes isolating the block into partial
blocks that each have a longitudinal direction, thermally treating
the partial blocks, subsequently mechanically machining surfaces of
the partial blocks, and providing the partial blocks with outer
electrodes and isolating the partial blocks in each case
transversely to the longitudinal direction into individual ceramic
multilayer components.
Inventors: |
Ottlinger; Marion
(Deutschlandsberg, AT), Krumphals; Robert
(Deutschlandsberg, AT), Glazunov; Alexander
(Deutschlandsberg, AT) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
EPCOS AG |
Munich |
N/A |
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
EPCOS AG (Munich,
DE)
|
Family
ID: |
52470235 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/913,367 |
Filed: |
July 14, 2014 |
PCT
Filed: |
July 14, 2014 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/EP2014/065038 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
February 21, 2016 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2015/028192 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
March 05, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20160204339 A1 |
Jul 14, 2016 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 27, 2013 [DE] |
|
|
10 2013 109 267 |
Oct 8, 2013 [DE] |
|
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10 2013 111 121 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
41/047 (20130101); H01G 4/30 (20130101); H01L
41/335 (20130101); H01L 41/083 (20130101); H01L
41/0838 (20130101); H01G 4/232 (20130101); H01G
13/006 (20130101); H01G 4/012 (20130101); H01L
41/273 (20130101); H01G 4/12 (20130101); Y10T
29/42 (20150115); Y10T 29/49126 (20150115); Y10T
29/49163 (20150115); Y10T 29/43 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
41/273 (20130101); H01G 4/012 (20060101); H01G
4/12 (20060101); H01L 41/083 (20060101); H01L
41/047 (20060101); H01G 4/30 (20060101); H01L
41/335 (20130101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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602004004841 |
|
Nov 2007 |
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DE |
|
102007004813 |
|
Aug 2008 |
|
DE |
|
102007040249 |
|
Mar 2009 |
|
DE |
|
102009028259 |
|
Feb 2011 |
|
DE |
|
102012101351 |
|
Aug 2013 |
|
DE |
|
102012105059 |
|
Dec 2013 |
|
DE |
|
61208880 |
|
Sep 1986 |
|
JP |
|
2007134561 |
|
May 2007 |
|
JP |
|
2009065014 |
|
Mar 2009 |
|
JP |
|
2012044148 |
|
Mar 2012 |
|
JP |
|
2012191165 |
|
Oct 2012 |
|
JP |
|
2008092740 |
|
Aug 2008 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Machine Translation (English) of Japanese Patent Publication, JP
61-208880, dated Jan. 2018. cited by examiner.
|
Primary Examiner: Tugbang; A. Dexter
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Slater Matsil, LLP
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method for producing ceramic multilayer components, the method
comprising: providing green layers with inner electrode layers for
the ceramic multilayer components; stacking the green layers into a
stack and subsequently compressing the stack to form a block;
separating the block into partial blocks, each of the partial
blocks having a longitudinal direction; thermally treating the
partial blocks, wherein thermally treating comprises decarbonizing
the partial blocks under reduced oxygen partial pressure;
mechanically machining by grinding surfaces of the partial blocks
after thermally treating, wherein mechanically machining of the
surfaces comprises grinding opposite lateral surfaces, a surface of
a bottom side and a surface of a top side of each of the partial
blocks; providing the partial blocks with outer electrodes; and
separating the partial blocks into individual ceramic multilayer
components, each of the partial blocks being isolated transversely
to the longitudinal direction, wherein, after separating the
partial blocks into the individual ceramic multilayer components,
no further machining by grinding is performed, wherein each
individual ceramic multilayer component is a piezoelectric
multilayer component, and wherein the inner electrode layers are
copper electrode layers.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the outer electrodes
are copper electrodes.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein stacking the green
layers comprises stacking the green layers with the inner electrode
layers, some of the inner electrode layers being electrically
coupled to a first electrode of the outer electrodes and others of
the inner electrode layers being electrically coupled to a second
electrode of the outer electrodes.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein separating the block
into the partial blocks comprises cutting the block only once
transversely to the longitudinal direction of the block.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein separating the block
into the partial blocks comprises cutting the block multiple times
transversely to the longitudinal direction of the block.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein separating the block
into the partial blocks comprises cutting the block more often in
parallel to the longitudinal direction of the block than
transversely to the longitudinal direction of the block.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the opposite lateral
surfaces of the partial blocks are provided with the outer
electrodes.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after providing the
partial blocks with the outer electrodes, the method further
comprises providing the partial blocks with an outer contact.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the outer contact is
provided by a solder or by a soldering process.
10. A method for producing ceramic multilayer components, the
method comprising: providing green layers with inner electrode
layers for the ceramic multilayer components; stacking the green
layers into a stack and subsequently compressing the stack to form
a block; separating the block into partial blocks, each of the
partial blocks having a longitudinal direction; thermally treating
the partial blocks, wherein thermally treating comprises
decarbonizing the partial blocks under reduced oxygen partial
pressure; mechanically machining by grinding surfaces of the
partial blocks after thermally treating, wherein mechanically
machining of the surfaces comprises grinding opposite lateral
surfaces, a surface of a bottom side and a surface of a top side of
each of the partial blocks; providing the partial blocks with outer
electrodes; and separating the partial blocks into individual
ceramic multilayer components, each of the partial blocks being
isolated transversely to the longitudinal direction, wherein, after
separating the partial blocks into the individual ceramic
multilayer components, no further machining by grinding is
performed, wherein the inner electrode layers are copper electrode
layers, and wherein each individual ceramic multilayer component is
a piezoelectric actuator.
11. A method for producing ceramic multilayer components, the
method comprising: providing green layers with inner electrode
layers for the ceramic multilayer components; stacking the green
layers into a stack and subsequently compressing the stack to form
a block; separating the block into partial blocks, each of the
partial blocks having a longitudinal direction; thermally treating
the partial blocks, wherein thermally treating comprises
decarbonizing the partial blocks under reduced oxygen partial
pressure; mechanically machining by grinding surfaces of the
partial blocks after thermally treating, wherein mechanically
machining of the surfaces comprises grinding opposite lateral
surfaces, a surface of a bottom side and a surface of a top side of
each of the partial blocks; providing the partial blocks with outer
electrodes; and separating the partial blocks into individual
ceramic multilayer components, each of the partial blocks being
isolated transversely to the longitudinal direction, wherein, after
separating the partial blocks into the individual ceramic
multilayer components, no further machining by grinding is
performed, wherein the inner electrode layers are copper electrode
layers, and wherein each individual ceramic multilayer component is
a multilayer capacitor.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the outer electrodes
are copper electrodes.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein stacking the green
layers comprises stacking the green layers with the inner electrode
layers, some of the inner electrode layers being electrically
coupled to a first electrode of the outer electrodes and others of
the inner electrode layers being electrically coupled to a second
electrode of the outer electrodes.
14. The method according to claim 11, wherein separating the block
into the partial blocks comprises cutting the block only once
transversely to the longitudinal direction of the block.
15. The method according to claim 11, wherein separating the block
into the partial blocks comprises cutting the block multiple times
transversely to the longitudinal direction of the block.
16. The method according to claim 11, wherein separating the block
into the partial blocks comprises cutting the block more often in
parallel to the longitudinal direction of the block than
transversely to the longitudinal direction of the block.
17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the opposite lateral
surfaces of the partial blocks are provided with the outer
electrodes.
18. The method according to claim 11, wherein, after providing the
partial blocks with the outer electrodes, the method further
comprises providing the partial blocks with an outer contact.
Description
This patent application is a national phase filing under section
371 of PCT/EP2014/065038, filed Jul. 14, 2014, which claims the
priority of German patent application 10 2013 109 267.5, filed Aug.
27, 2013 and German patent application 10 2013 111 121.1, filed
Oct. 8, 2013, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method for producing ceramic
multilayer components and a ceramic multilayer component.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the invention specify an improved ceramic multilayer
component and a method for the production thereof.
A method for producing ceramic multilayer components is specified.
The method comprises providing green layers for the ceramic
multilayer components. The green layers are preferably layers made
of a raw material, which is not sintered, for example, for the
ceramic multilayer components. The method furthermore comprises
providing the green layers with inner electrodes. The inner
electrodes can comprise copper (Cu).
In one embodiment, the inner electrodes are made of copper.
The green layers are preferably each coated with at least one inner
electrode or inner electrode layer.
The method furthermore comprises the stacking of the green layers
provided with the inner electrodes to form a stack. The stacking is
preferably performed such that the inner electrodes are each
arranged between two adjacent green layers.
In one preferred embodiment, the method comprises, after the
stacking of the green layers, the compression of the stack to form
a block. The method furthermore comprises the isolation of the
block into partial blocks, wherein each partial block has a
longitudinal direction. A partial block of the block can be a
bar.
The longitudinal direction of the block can relate in the present
application to a main extension direction of the block. Front faces
of the block can extend in particular in parallel to the
longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction furthermore
preferably extends perpendicularly to a depth or width of the
block. The mentioned front faces preferably refer to lateral
surfaces of the block, on which the inner electrodes can be
contacted with outer electrodes or an outer contact.
In one preferred embodiment, the block is cut to isolate the
block.
In one preferred embodiment, the block is cut only once, in
particular for the isolation, transversely to the longitudinal
direction and/or along the longitudinal direction of the block,
preferably to form two or more partial blocks of equal length. The
number of the partial blocks can be between 2 and 10.
In one preferred embodiment, the block or the already cut parts of
the block is/are cut multiple or a plurality of times along a depth
in parallel to the longitudinal direction.
In one preferred embodiment, the block is cut multiple times
transversely to the longitudinal direction for the isolation. The
number of the partial blocks can be between 2 and 10 in this
case.
In one preferred embodiment, the block is cut in parallel to the
longitudinal direction more often than transversely to the
longitudinal direction of the block for the isolation. By way of
this embodiment, the production or processing effort, in particular
the thermal treatment and the mechanical machining, can
advantageously be reduced, because a smaller number of parts or
partial blocks have to be processed or machined, in particular on
surfaces on which the partial blocks are provided with outer
electrodes (see below). In other words, lateral surfaces, which
extend in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the block, can
advantageously be processed or machined in parallel in subsequent
method steps.
A surface normal of these lateral surfaces can be oriented
perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction in this case.
The method furthermore comprises, preferably after the isolation of
the block into the partial blocks, the thermal treatment of the
partial blocks.
In one preferred embodiment, the thermal treatment comprises
decarbonization of the partial blocks. The decarbonization can
furthermore comprise, for example, to expel carbon from the partial
blocks, subjecting the partial blocks to a special, for example,
low-oxygen atmosphere.
In one preferred embodiment, the partial blocks are sintered during
the thermal treatment. The sintering is advantageously performed
after the decarbonization.
The method furthermore comprises, after the thermal treatment, the
mechanical machining of surfaces of the partial blocks. The
mechanical machining can be a removal of material from the surfaces
of the partial blocks, preferably grinding.
The method furthermore comprises, preferably after the mechanical
machining, the provision of the partial blocks with outer
electrodes. The partial blocks are preferably provided with the
outer electrodes on lateral surfaces, which are parallel to the
longitudinal direction. In particular, when providing the partial
blocks with the outer electrodes, the inner electrodes are
advantageously contacted, i.e., connected in an electrically
conductive manner to the outer electrodes.
The method furthermore comprises the isolation of the partial
blocks in each case transversely to the longitudinal direction into
individual ceramic multilayer components. During the isolation of
the partial blocks transversely to the longitudinal direction, in
each case a partial block is preferably cut multiple times
transversely to the longitudinal direction, to form individual
ceramic multilayer components.
In one preferred embodiment, the partial blocks are each isolated
transversely to the longitudinal direction after the mechanical
machining. Thus, during the production of the ceramic multilayer
components, complex and serial processing of already finished
isolated components or base bodies for the components can
advantageously be omitted. Multilayered ceramic, for example,
piezoelectric, multilayer components, for example, actuators, are
typically processed over many process steps in already isolated
form. Layer stacks, for example, consisting of ceramic films and
inner electrodes, are isolated in this case, after being compressed
into actuators, by separating methods. They are then decarbonized,
sintered, ground, and metalized or contacted thereafter as
individual components.
Such processing requires a large amount of effort, on the one hand,
because each actuator is machined individually, and it is linked to
technical problems, on the other hand. These include possible
warping, for example, distortion, of the actuators during
sintering, which can have particularly strong effects in actuators
having a small cross section. The consequence can be that the
ceramic multilayer components or actuators are unusable or
increased grinding effort is necessary, with corresponding material
loss. A further problem can relate to a grinding allowance, a
grinding tolerance, or an offset of insulating regions of the
respective actuator during the grinding of the lateral
surfaces.
In particular, for proper contacting of the inner electrodes, a
large grinding allowance can be disadvantageous, since the widths
of the mentioned insulating regions are reduced by the grinding and
therefore short-circuits could occur between the inner electrodes
from a specific grinding allowance, in particular in operation of
the ceramic multilayer components.
The machining of partial blocks or bars instead of individual
actuators provides the following advantages:
the production or processing effort, in particular from the thermal
treatment up to the mechanical machining, is reduced, because the
number of parts is less in each processing step;
material loss, for example, due to grinding allowance, is
reduced;
warping of components having a small cross section (for example,
3.times.3 mm) is reduced;
the cross-sectional area fulfills requirements for the surface
quality, and no further machining (for example, grinding) is thus
required of, for example, 2 sides of each actuator;
the symmetry of insulating regions can be increased by setting
cutting positions in the completely processed bar;
the risk of mechanical damage (for example, edge chipping) of
individual actuators is substantially reduced, because the bars are
only isolated into actuators during a processing step which is
applied late; this can advantageously result in an increase of the
yield of the actuators;
in addition, the possibility exists of introducing new processes
such as etching of inner electrodes in or on insulating regions of
the ceramic layers or green layers for the production of actuators
having improved electrical properties and/or lengthened service
life with comparatively low production effort.
In one preferred embodiment, the surfaces of the partial blocks are
mechanically machined on opposing outer or lateral surfaces, on
which the partial blocks are provided with outer electrodes,
preferably in a later method step. The outer or lateral surfaces
are preferably circumferential surfaces of the block or partial
block and not the surfaces of the top and bottom sides. The
surfaces of the top and bottom sides can also be mechanically
processed, for example, to a lesser extent than the mentioned
circumferential surfaces of the block.
In one preferred embodiment, the mechanical machining of the
surfaces of the partial blocks comprises four outer surfaces of
each partial block.
In one preferred embodiment, the method comprises, after providing
the partial blocks with outer electrodes, providing the partial
blocks with an outer contact, for example, by a solder or by a
soldering process. For example, the outer contact can be an
electrical conductor or can comprise such an electrical conductor,
which can be connected in an electrically conductive manner to the
outer electrode via the solder.
In one preferred embodiment, the partial blocks are isolated, after
the provision of the partial blocks with the outer electrodes and
after the provision of the partial blocks with the outer contact,
into individual ceramic multilayer components in each case
transversely to the longitudinal direction.
In one preferred embodiment, the ceramic multilayer component is a
piezoelectric multilayer component or a piezoelectric actuator.
In one embodiment, the ceramic multilayer component is a multilayer
capacitor.
Furthermore, a ceramic, for example, piezoelectric multilayer
component is specified, which is producible or produced by means of
the method described here.
In one preferred embodiment, the proposed method comprises
providing green layers for the ceramic multilayer components,
providing the green layers with inner electrodes, stacking the
green layers provided with the inner electrodes to form a stack and
subsequently compressing the stack to form a block, isolating the
block into partial blocks each having a longitudinal direction,
thermally treating the partial blocks and subsequently mechanically
machining surfaces of the partial blocks, providing the partial
blocks with outer electrodes, and isolating the partial blocks in
each case transversely to the longitudinal direction into
individual ceramic multilayer components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further advantages, advantageous embodiments, and advantageous
features of the invention result from the following description of
the exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the figures.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a block of green layers provided with
inner electrodes.
FIG. 2 schematically shows a partial block which was isolated from
the block.
FIG. 3 indicates the isolation of a partial block.
FIG. 4 indicates a production method for a ceramic multilayer
component, on the basis of which the advantages of the method
according to FIGS. 1 to 3 are explained.
Identical, equivalent, and identically acting elements are provided
with identical reference signs in the figures. The figures and the
size relationships of the elements shown in the figures are not to
scale. Rather, individual elements can be shown exaggeratedly large
for better illustration ability and/or for better
comprehension.
The figures indicate a production method for ceramic multilayer
components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a block 1. The block 1 has preferably been formed or
produced by compressing a stack made of green layers 5, which are
layered on one another and are provided with inner electrodes (not
explicitly shown). The stack direction corresponds to the direction
Z in FIG. 1. For this purpose, the green layers 5 have preferably
been previously provided and have preferably each been provided
with at least one of the inner electrodes. The green layers 5 can
be films for a ceramic or ceramic layer to be produced. The inner
electrodes can be printed onto the ceramic films, for example, by
screenprinting.
The block 1 has a longitudinal direction X. After the stacking of
the green layers 5 provided with inner electrodes, at least one
inner electrode layer is preferably located between two adjacent
green layers 5.
The inner electrodes or inner electrode layers can furthermore be
arranged laterally offset alternately in the stack direction, so
that, for example, only every second inner electrode layer is
accessible and can be contacted on one side of the stack.
The block 1 is isolated into partial blocks 3 after the
compression. Such a partial block 3 is shown in FIG. 2. The
contours of the partial blocks 3 are indicated in FIG. 1 by cuts or
cutting directions 2. The isolation is preferably cutting of the
block 1 into partial blocks 3. The cuts are preferably performed
during the isolation in parallel and perpendicularly to the
longitudinal direction X. In particular, "perpendicularly to the
longitudinal direction X" preferably means transversely to the
longitudinal direction. The block 1 is preferably cut only once
perpendicularly or transversely to the longitudinal direction X.
Alternatively, the block 1 can be cut multiple times transversely
to the longitudinal direction X. The number of the partial blocks 3
which were cut transversely to the longitudinal direction X can be
between 2 and 10. In parallel to the longitudinal direction X, the
block 1 is preferably cut multiple times (for example, four times
in FIG. 1). The number of the partial blocks which were cut in
parallel to the longitudinal direction X can be between 2 and 50,
for example (cf. Y direction in FIG. 1). The block is preferably
cut more often in parallel to the longitudinal direction X than
transversely to the longitudinal direction X of the block 1 for the
isolation, since in this way the production effort can be reduced
(see above). The cut surfaces of the partial blocks preferably
already fulfill the requirements for the desired surface quality in
this case, for example, with reference to the roughness.
FIG. 2 shows a partial block 3 or bar as an example of a plurality
of partial blocks 3 isolated from the block 1.
The proposed method furthermore comprises, after the isolation of
the block 1 into the partial blocks 3, the thermal treatment of the
partial blocks 3. The thermal treatment can comprise
decarbonization of the partial blocks 3 to expel carbon from the
partial blocks 3, for example, in a low-oxygen atmosphere. The
low-oxygen atmosphere can be an atmosphere having reduced oxygen
partial pressure. In particular, oxidation of the inner electrodes,
which are made of copper (Cu), for example, can be prevented or
restricted by a reduced oxygen partial pressure. After the
decarbonization, the thermal treatment preferably comprises
sintering of the green layers to form ceramic layers.
The method furthermore comprises, preferably after the thermal
treatment, the mechanical machining of top surfaces or lateral
surfaces of the partial blocks 3. The mechanical machining is
preferably performed on the lateral surfaces 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the
partial block or blocks 3.
Subsequently, each individual partial block 3 is preferably
provided with outer electrodes (not explicitly shown). The outer
electrodes are preferably attached or deposited on main lateral
surfaces of the partial blocks 3. These main lateral surfaces are
identified in FIG. 2 with the reference signs 6 and 7.
Particularly high requirements are placed with respect to the
mechanical machining of the lateral surfaces 6 and 7, because of
the above-mentioned problem of the grinding allowance because of
possible insulating regions on the lateral surfaces 6 and 7. The
insulating regions can be formed by the lateral offset of adjacent
inner electrodes in the stack direction, so that, for example,
during the provision of the partial blocks with outer electrodes,
only every second inner electrode is contacted and/or connected in
an electrically conductive manner to the respective outer electrode
in each case on the lateral surfaces 6 and 7.
FIG. 3 illustrates the isolation of the partial blocks transversely
to the longitudinal direction X into individual ceramic multilayer
components 100. In this case, each partial block 3 is isolated or
cut transversely to the longitudinal direction X after the
provision with the outer electrodes. A subsequent (after the
isolation) thermal and/or mechanical treatment of at least the
lateral surfaces 6 and 7 of the ceramic multilayer component 100
(on the right in FIG. 3) is advantageously no longer necessary due
to the proposed method.
The proposed method can be applied during the production of
multilayered piezoelectric actuators having copper (Cu) inner
electrodes. Furthermore, components or actuators having other
electrode types, for example, made of Ag or AgPd, can also be
processed or produced in the same manner.
This technology can also be applied in other products, for example,
in multilayered ceramic capacitors, wherein the multilayered
components or multilayer components are processed over many
processing steps as a part of the block or as an entire block and
not in isolated form.
Multiple structural forms of multilayer components or partial
blocks were produced, for example, having the dimensions
3.4.times.3.4.times.27 mm.sup.3 to 5.2.times.5.2.times.60
mm.sup.3.
In FIG. 4, a production method of a ceramic multilayer component is
indicated, on the basis of which the advantages of the method
according to FIGS. 1 to 3 are explained. A block 1 according to
FIG. 1 is especially shown. The contours of the partial blocks 3,
into which the block 1 is isolated (see on the right in FIG. 4) are
indicated, as described above, by cuts or cutting directions 2. The
right image shows a partial block 3 or bar as an example of a
plurality of partial blocks 3 isolated from the block 1. The cuts 2
are produced or extend in parallel and transversely to the
longitudinal direction X here for the isolation. Transversely to
the longitudinal direction X, the block 1 can be cut precisely or
approximately as often as in parallel to the longitudinal direction
X in this method--in contrast to the above-described method. The
method described in FIGS. 1 to 3 offers the advantages over the
method from FIG. 4 of significantly simplified production of the
ceramic multilayer component (as described above).
The invention is not restricted by the description on the basis of
the exemplary embodiments. Rather, the invention comprises every
novel feature and every combination of features, which includes in
particular every combination of features in the patent claims, even
if this feature or this combination is not itself explicitly
specified in the patent claims or exemplary embodiments.
* * * * *